Saturday, November 17, 2012

Part B - Application of TPACK

What
is the TP knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how does the technology
you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have
chosen?)

For my project, I looked at ways for students to save their work without a hard drive. I especially needed a way to do this for their upcoming project. Since it was a project based assignment and I wasincorporating tools that differentiated learning and made the content applicable, students were much more willing to embrace it. Using different technologies where students could save to the cloud was an essential component. The technology needed to allowstudents to access their work from anywhere. It was becoming tedious to send their documents back and forth or save it to a portable drive. Making it accessible from anywhere made sure that if they had internet, they could log-in and work on it. This is such an important tool in an English classroom where students need to get their ideas down and be able to work through the writing process. They also need to revise and edit their work, according to the Common Core Standards.My students use computers, their phones, a tablet, and their iPods to access the internet. Using cloud technology allows them to not have to send and save multiple drafts. Another perk of using cloud technology is that students can easily edit their content. It's often a challenge to get students to revisit their work andrevise it. If I have students work on things by hand or save and can onlyaccess it from a set place, they rarely go back and make changes. If they can view their work on multiple devices and their work updates instantly, they do a better jobediting. By thinking about the teaching strategies I planned to incorporate, I as able to effectively pick and utilize appropriate technology.

What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e.,
how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem
more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about
representation.)

I'm having students use technology to work on their The Great Gatsby project. Since the students do not have a place to save their work at school, the technology I've chosen is all kept in some type of cloud. This solves most of my problem, but I also wanted students to be able to work with the novel and show that they've gotten a thorough understanding. The technology allows students to really engage with the novel and show their understanding in an effective way. They are able to look up credible sources and other information if they need it to compliment their project. Using things like Google Docs, Audacity, and Mixbook allows my students to show their comprehension of the novel and also embrace technology tools. I didn't do any training with students before they had to work with thse different technology tools. Instead students had to evaluate what tool would work best and then find ways to relate it to the novel. They had to work through the process of learning a new tool, which teachers them critical thinking skills. This forced them to analyze the novel in a new way. It also was appealing because it allowed them to use technology instead of a typical paper and pen assignment. Students put in more time and effort because they felt their work was validated. Their finished products required a high level of analysis and interpretation. Since they were able to use tools that felt relevant to them, they worked much more efficiently and authentically.

What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e.,
how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your
problem more intellectually accessible?) Be sure to think about how the
student will experience the content given these instructional
strategies.

The main pedagogy I used was Project Based Learning. This pedagogy helps the learner user higher order thinking skills and helps incorporates the concepts of The Great Gatsby. This type of project allows the student to use the knowledge they learned and apply it in order to complete the project. Using tools like Multimedia Instruction and Podcasting makes it so students have different mediums to present their project. The students are able to create projects that show their comprehension and application of concepts from the novel. By having multiple choices and differentiating instruction, students were able to pick the project that best met their interests making the project meaningful. Every student was required to use Google Docs to complete the typed portion of their project. This made it so the document could be accessed from anywhere, but also shared with me. There was also a formal essay option for students who felt like writing was their best option. Aside from the Google Docs, students had other creative options for their project. For the Audacity assignments, students had to create a song about The Great Gatsby. It was required to have characters, events, and themes from the novel. They also had to include direct quotes. Students then used Audacity to record themselves. The Mixbook option allowed students to create a scrapbook for the main character. They had to pick ten items that are important to the character and find quotes and an explanation to back up their choice. Having multiple options was a pedagogical choice in creating this project. I wanted students to have multiple avenues for complicating the project and displaying their knowledge of the novel.

1 comment:

Offering a variety of options for assessment means students are more in control of their learning. Having these options based in technology often ensures success for students in completing assessment tasks.